Method, apparatus, and media for creating social media channels

ABSTRACT

A method, apparatus, and computer-readable media for creating a private social network (PSN). Channels in the PSN can be created based on connections in existing social networks and based on other interactions between the users. Channels can be dynamically managed based on various interactions and attributes. Channels of the PSN are defined by a data structure indicating the users and relationships therebetween. The data structure can be manipulated to change the attributes of the channels. A user interface can be provided to facilitate aggregation of existing channels.

RELATED APPLICATION DATA

This application claims benefit to provisional application Ser. Nos.62/042,616 filed on Aug. 27, 2014, 62/054,948 filed on Sep. 24, 2014,62/042,622 filed on Aug. 27, 2014, 62/054,949 filed on Sep. 24, 2014,62/042,604 filed on Aug. 27, 2014, 62/054,947 filed on Sep. 24, 2014,62/042,644 filed on Aug. 27, 2014, 62/043,370 filed on Aug. 28, 2014,62/054,945 filed on Sep. 24, 2014, 62/042,619 filed on Aug. 27, 2014,62/043,371 filed on Aug. 28, 2014, 62/054,944 filed on Sep. 24, 2014,the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The disclosure generally relates to the field of on-line socialnetworks, and more particularly to creating social media channels.

BACKGROUND

Social networks, such as Facebook, are well known. A typical userparticipates in a number of social networks simultaneously. On eachsocial network, a user typically goes through some process to select (orthat results in the generation of) multiple sets of socialrelationships: for example, Following, Follower, and Messaging. Thespecific significance of each of these types of social relationshipsvaries amongst the different social networks and may be too complicatedfor many users to understand. Furthermore, as most discerning users willunderstand, simply allowing your content to be public is not alwaysdesirable, and is widely considered not to be suitable for younger users(e.g., children). For instance, on Twitter, a public account isaccessible by about 1 billion registered Twitter users. On the otherhand, when a user instead elects for their content to be private, toomany manual controls are needed to efficiently manage content andrelationships. For example, a user may have to manually approve everyuser that requests to follow their posts.

Some social networks allow users to build their individual socialnetworks consisting of other individual users that the user selects.These other members typically fall within one of the following socialrelationship categories: Following, Followers and Messaging Friends.

As a viewer on a social network, a user can build relationships withother users on the same social network by finding people to follow. Byfollowing people, the user may view their posts. A user may identifyother users to follow by allowing the social network to scrape theircontacts to find known individuals on this network, scraping theiraddress books on other social networks to find individuals who are alsoon this network, searching the network database for people of interest(e.g., by name or email address), providing suggestions on whom tofollow based on trend or some algorithm, and the like. After a list ofpotentially related users is compiled, the user reviews each list toselect individuals or groups to follow. The selected individuals orgroups become part of the user's individual social network as Following.As an author or contributor on a social network, the user may postcontent to her timeline or wall for viewing by her followers (e.g.,people who follow her). If the user elects to have her posts be public,any other user may follow her to view her posts. On the other hand, ifthe user prefers to keep her posts private, only individuals that havebeen approved by the user may view her posts. These approved individualsjoin the user's individual social network as Followers.

In some social networks, Following and Followers are combined into asingle social relationship. More specifically, if a user agrees to“friend” another user, the user will be following the other user and theother user will also be a follower of the user. In other socialnetworks, Following and Follower relationships are independent. Forexample, a user may follow another user without that other user in turnbecoming a follower of the user. Some social networks also permit usersto privately message each other within the social network environment.Thus, users may communicate without having to post messages to theirtimelines or walls, which would be visible to all of their followers.For privacy purposes, some social networks allow a user to specifywhether any user can message them or whether only known users (e.g., ina social relationship of Following or Follower) can message them. Thesetypes of rules require more decision making by users and more manualselection from both senders and viewers. In summary, social networksoften encourage users to share content liberally because sharingforwards the purpose and revenue model of the social network. Whilemanual controls allow limitations on sharing, such controls are oftenconfusing and cumbersome to apply.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

Embodiments are described in connection with the attached drawing, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a process for creating a channel;

FIG. 2 is a table indicating an example of a channel data structure;

FIG. 3 is an example of a channel user interface;

FIG. 4A is an example of a channel creation user interface;

FIGS. 4B and 4C are examples of channel template user interfaces;

FIG. 5 is an example of obscured content display on a channel;

FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagrams of a computing platform; and

FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagrams of a computing networkarchitecture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure describes aspects of embodiments for carrying out theinventions described herein. Of course, many modifications andadaptations will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant arts inview of the following description in view of the accompanying drawingsand the appended claims. While the aspects of the disclosed embodimentsdescribed herein are provided with a certain degree of specificity, thepresent technique may be implemented with either greater or lesserspecificity, depending on the needs of the user. Further, some of thefeatures of the disclosed embodiments may be used to obtain an advantagewithout the corresponding use of other features described in thefollowing paragraphs. As such, the present description should beconsidered as merely illustrative of the principles of the presenttechnique and not in limitation thereof.

The phrase “ephemeral content”, as used herein, refers to content thatis used in an ephemeral manner, i.e., content that is available for useduring a limited period of time. Use restrictions that arecharacteristic of ephemeral content may include, for example,limitations on the number of times the content may be used, limitationson the amount of time that the content is usable, specifications that aserver may only send copies or licenses associated with the contentduring a time window, specifications that a server may only store thecontent during a time window, and the like. The limitations on use ofephemeral content need be time-based as long as the permission to usethe content expires at some point in time, for example a point in timeafter a specified number of uses.

Aspects of the disclosed embodiments relate to securely sharing contentover private social networks and to managing messaging channelsassociated with social networks. The techniques described herein may beused in combination with and with any suitable content. An aspect of thedisclosed embodiments relates to securely sharing content over a privatesocial network. Specifically, in existing social networks (e.g.,Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.), users may be overwhelmed with alarge number of posts per day, and many users experience feeds that areso cluttered they cannot identify or locate posts that are most relevantto their interests or that originate from users that they are mostinterested in. In addition, existing social networks may also be vagueabout which other users can view a user's content, and users cannotmaintain control over their content after they share their content onthe social networks. Thus, users often cannot be sure who willultimately be allowed to access their posts.

An aspect of the disclosed embodiments relates to automatic creation ofa private social network (PSN), which is defined by a data construct,i.e. a data structure, defining one or more channels and can include auser interface for one or more channels associated with a user. The term“channels”, as used herein, refers to communication relationshipsdefined by data structures, that include an identifier of one or moreusers that are associated with the channel (e.g., that have access todata stored within that channel). The channels included in a PSN may bechannels (e.g., from other social networks) under one or more useridentities. For example, the user may have created the channels orsubscribed to the channels by creating accounts with social networks.Or, the user may be given a default identity when using the socialnetworks. Each identity is associated with a set of relationshipsthrough their respective channels. The data structure can be transformedto provide different behaviors of the resulting social network channelsas set forth below.

Regarding user identities, a private social network may be used to bringtogether data from user identities that are otherwise unrelated. Forexample, a single PSN may include data from channels associated with auser's personal profile (e.g., family and friend, including photo, realname, cell phone number, home address, and the like), professionalprofile (e.g., job title, work email, work phone number, and the like),social profile (e.g., avatar, username, personal interest, and thelike). In short, a PSN may be used with any profiles associated with auser.

Specifically, the features disclosed herein allow for creation of aprivate social network without requiring users to manually select andfilter their social relationships. More specifically, the techniques forprivate social network creation disclosed herein leverage choices andactivities users have already made on existing social networks and othercommunication channels such as email applications and messagingapplications to build private social networks (e.g., sub-nets) that aretailored to the users' preferences.

To create social relationships with other users, the socialrelationships a user has with other users in other social networks maybe analyzed, and new social relationships may be created with the otherusers that are most related or interesting to the user. This may includea variety of techniques which may be chosen by the user or implementedautomatically. For example, an application managing or creating theprivate social network may access data from other social networks via anApplication Programming Interface (API) with the approval of the user.The user may approve by allowing access outright or by givingcredentials required to access the data. Various algorithms for creatingand managing PSNs are set forth below as examples.

Algorithm 1: Selecting from existing social networks

-   -   1) After a user has signed up, create a PSN with two channels: a        Social channel and a Message channel.    -   2) Detect other social networks the user has signed in on the        device.    -   3) Ask user for permission to retrieve the user's relationships        from the other social networks.    -   4) Via API, retrieve the relationships R.    -   5) Extract Following from R.        -   a. Initialize Relationships on Social Channel (RSC) to a set            of people in Following who are also on the current system.        -   b. Periodically refresh RSC.            -   i. add to RSC when user follows new people or when the                system detects that other users have followed the                current user.            -   ii. remove from RSC when user stops following someone or                when the system detects that other users have stopped                following the current user.    -   6) Extract Followers from R.        -   a. Initialize Relationships on Message Channel (RMC) to a            set of people who are in both Following and Followers.        -   b. Periodically refresh RMC.            -   i. add to RMC when the user forms a new mutual                relationship.            -   ii. remove from RMC when a mutual relationship breaks.

For example, one aspect of the disclosed embodiments creates socialrelationships with each user that is part of an existing socialrelationship on any social network, and then automatically eliminatesusers over time that are no longer of interest. This determination of“interest” may be based on, for example, the frequency of socialinteractions between the users (e.g., the higher the frequency, thegreater the interest). Another aspect of the disclosed embodimentsstarts with a small set of social relationship with users that are ofparticular interest to the user, and slowly adds new users that becomemore interesting over time.

Besides social relationships, other relationships may also be monitoredand analyzed. For example, a Mail application on a user's phone may beemployed to determine work relationships and family relationships, bymatching last names and mail exchange frequency for example. A Messageapplication may be employed to determine how often a phone contact isused (e.g., called) before adding the phone contact to the PSN asFollowing, Follower or Messaging Friend.

Private social networks may be created for any user having an accountcreated by the user or a default account assigned by the socialnetworks. A PSN may be created to include one or more channels. Eachchannel may be associated with a set of relationships and may beautomatically created based on various algorithms. Examples of suchalgorithms are set for the below.

Algorithm 2: Adding relationships to PSN via invitation—This methodenables a mutual relationship to be created between a user initiating aninvitation and a user accepting the invitation.

1) User invites a device contact C to join his PSN.

2) C accepts the invitation and creates an account with the system:

-   -   a. by providing identification information, at least one piece        of identification information being verifiable via SMS        verification, Email verification, fingerprint verification,        passcode verification or the like. The verifiable identification        matches or can be referenced by the invitation.    -   b. the device may automatically detect that the identification        information referenced by the invitation matches identification        data stored on the device.    -   c. alternatively, the device may automatically detect that the        identification information referenced by the invitation matches        identification data stored on a device, such as a wearable        device, within close proximity.

3) A mutual relationship can be created between the user and C.

-   -   a. User's RMC and C's RMC are updated.    -   b. User can be added to C's RSC and C can be added to the user's        RSC.

Algorithm 3: Building address book for messaging based on Mail apps on adevice—this method creates a channel for each of the user's emailaccounts. For example, a user will have created a channel for work and achannel for personal matters. Each channel is associated with an addressbook pre-populated with relationships based on how often the userexchanges email with a recipient.

-   -   1) Look up active accounts from Mail apps on device.    -   2) Create a channel for each account, the channel can be        associated with the account's email address.        -   a. Alternatively, create a first channel for Exchange (work            domain) and a second channel for other accounts (personal            domain). The first channel can be associated with the            Exchange domain. The second channel can be associated with            the other accounts' email addresses.        -   b. Alternatively, prompt user for work email during sign up            and create a work domain accordingly.    -   3) Via API, add email recipients to the address book of the        corresponding channel.        -   a. Addition can be done periodically.        -   b. Alternatively, addition can be done when an email is            sent.

Algorithm 4: Family and friends connections (FFC)—this method createsrelationships by analyzing the user's personal information to determinefamily and friends.

-   -   1) During Sign Up, prompt user for personal information        including: first name, last name, maiden name, phone number.    -   2) Look up phone contacts.    -   3) Add a contact C1 to the user's FFC if all of the following        are true:        -   a. C1 has the same last name or maiden name.        -   b. C1's entry includes a phone number.        -   c. C1 has the user's in C1's device contact OR the user's            follows C1 on a social network.    -   4) Add a contact C2 to the user's FFC if all of the following        are true:        -   a. C2 can be identified by the system as family of C1.        -   b. C2 can be included in the user's device contacts.

Algorithm 5: Neighborhood connections (NC)

-   -   1) Enable creation of a channel based on the current location.        -   a. Alternatively, prompt user to enter a location address,            or zip code or city boundary.    -   2) Anyone creating an account with the system from this        location+some mile radius can be added to the user's NC.

Algorithm 6: Interest connections (IN)

1) Enable user to create a channel for a specific topic of interest.

-   -   a. The user can indicate the topic via one of the following        methods:        -   i. import from another app. For instance, while reading from            a news app, the user can choose to import a link or headline            into the system of the invention.        -   ii. manual create by entering a topic name and rules for            subscription.    -   b. A channel TC can be created for the topic    -   c. The topic is broadcasted on all channels and subscription to        TC can be allowed according to any rules for subscription.

Algorithm 7: Wearable connections (WN)

-   -   1) Enable creation of a channel for a specific activity, such as        running, based on the current location.    -   2) During the course of the activity, pick up signals from        nearby devices being worn by users (referred to herein as        “wearable computers” or “wearables”). The signals may include        information identifying the wearables and/or the users.    -   3) Add the identification information to WN, effectively        subscribing the wearables as subscribers of the channel.    -   4) Allow subscribers to share content relating to the activity.        -   a. Content can include data collected by the wearables such            as running route information, weather conditions, etc.        -   b. Content can include analytics derived from the collected            data.        -   c. Content can include comments provided by the wearables'            users.

Algorithm 8: Social Messaging—this method enables groups of users on onesocial network or message app to move their groups (including socialrelationships) to PSN. The social network or message app can be anotherapplication on the same user device. Additionally, the social networkcan be accessible to the device via another application, such as abrowser. As an example, a user using the iOS iMessage app can share amessaging thread with a PSN. Since the messaging thread already includesphone numbers and email addresses of participants, the PSN can create anew channel for all users on that messaging thread.

-   -   1) From an app that enables messaging or social networking, user        shares relationship information with a PSN, the information        identifies the user's account on the PSN and also identifies        other users of the app.    -   2) After validating the user's account, the PSN creates a        channel and a token representing the channel. The token        encapsulates authentication information needed to enable the        user and the other users post to the newly created channel on        the PSN.    -   3) Any user who can authenticate with the token can post to the        PSN. Authentication can be implemented in different ways, some        of them are listed below:        -   a. The token can include a list of user data such as phone            numbers and email addresses and authentication can be done            via SMS and email verification, respectively.        -   b. The token can include a list of usernames and, in order            to authenticate, a user must successfully sign in to the app            using a username on the list. In this case, the app either            communicates the result to the PSN or the PSN can parse the            sign in page to extract the result.        -   c. The token can be identification of the newly created            channel and it is up to the user to forward the token to            their friends. Anyone presenting the token can access on the            channel for viewing and/or posting.

These and other algorithms may be used in connection with private socialnetwork creation and management according to aspects of the disclosedembodiments. After relationships are created for any given channel, auser interface may be displayed to a user that includes the channel, theuser's profile for each channel, and any associated socialrelationships.

In general, deciding whether a social relationship should exist betweena user and another user may be based on, for example, whether a socialrelationship exists on existing social networks, the frequency andintensity of transactions during use of the private social network,location of the users and the like. A degree of interest to each memberor user may be determined based on the frequency and intensity ofinteractions between the user and each other user, and may also be basedon a Trust Level between the users. Trust level may depend on existingfactors such as whether the other user is in the user's personalcontacts (e.g., this person is trusted because you have added them toyour phone list), whether the user is following the other user and howoften, how often the users interact by commenting or replying to a poston existing social networks, how often the users message each other, andthe like. If two users are of little or no interest (e.g., having a lowdegree of interest), they may be added to a purge list, and the socialrelationship between the users may be eliminated. The user may alsochoose not to have the social relationship eliminated, and insteadchoose to have the person remain as a social relationship despite thelow degree of interest.

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a method of the invention. In step10, relationships on at least one existing social network and/or othercommunication channel are analyzed. This can be accomplished byreceiving a data structure indicative of the relationships. For example,an API of an existing social network can be used to query the socialnetwork and receive the requested data. As another example, therelationships can be accessible via the operating system or a thirdparty application. As another example, the relationships can betransmitted from a nearby device, such as a wearable device, a bluetoothdevice, a Wi-Fi device or the like.

In step 20, a degree of interest, trust level, or other attributesrelating to the relationships can be determined. For example, one of thealgorithms disclosed above can be applied to attributes relating to therelationships. Attributes can be determined from any interactionsbetween parties, preferences of the parties, and any other informationindicating a desired level of relationship.

In step 30, a custom private social network, including one or morechannels can be created based on the attributes determined in step 20.Again, the algorithms disclosed above can be applied to construct theprivate social network. The social relationships on the private socialnetwork can be dynamically adjusted in step 40, using the disclosedalgorithms for example.

The techniques described herein for creating a private social networkmay be initiated by a user to create a separate, stand-alone socialnetwork. In addition, the techniques may be implemented within anexisting social network to filter or analyze existing socialrelationships within that social network in an efficient manner andcreate or manage new channels in that network. By creating a socialnetwork with more relevant social relationships among users, content maybe shared while minimizing the risk that the content will be accessed byunauthorized, unknown or unintended users. Channel creation andmanagement can be accomplished using known mechanisms, such as computerreadable data structures indicating identities and nature ofconnections. The data structures can be manipulated as desired, inaccordance with the algorithms disclosed herein for example, to createand maintain the channels. Various mechanisms for creating thecommunication connections based on the data structures are well knownand can be used in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a data structure of a channel in the form of a table.The table can correspond to a specific user, such as the owner of theprivate social network. The first column represents identification ofvarious other users related to the owner. The second through fourthcolumns indicate whether or not the user of a specific row has therelationship of the column with the owner. A “1” indicates existence ofthe relationship, a “0” indicates no existence of the relationship. Asexamples, the relationships can be Follower, Followed, and Friend.

Another aspect of the disclosed embodiments relates to techniques formanaging ephemeral messaging channels, for example, on social networkingservices. As noted above, the channels can be dynamically managed to becreated, changed and destroyed over time. Specifically, as describedherein, users of social networking services typically form connections(e.g., Follower, Following, Friends, etc.) with friends, family, andother users based on their online interactions with those users. Whilethese relationships are typically formed with other people, socialrelationships may also be formed with groups, organizations, companies,or other entities.

An ephemeral channel may be represented by a data structure in anapplication that can bind a group of users associated with certainephemeral conditions with a list of content associated with additionalephemeral conditions. As exemplified by the following, an applicationcan enable users to create multiple channels and/or share to thesechannels based on a core construct for a channel:

Channel(T)=Users(t1,t2,t3)+Content(ta,tb,tc)

-   -   Channel(T) . . . T=overall governing ephemeral conditions for        the channel    -   Users (t1, t2, t3) . . . t1, t2, t3=individual user identity,        rules or conditions . . . .    -   Content (ta, tb, tc) . . . ta, tb, tc=ephemeral content        conditions where conditions can be set individually by content        type, for example, a 15 second viewing for video, and a 1 min        viewing for photos

The identities of users belonging to a channel may be constructed, forexample, from various attributes including the following:

-   -   People around a location    -   People affiliated with a social network or a subset of a social        network    -   People selected and approved by the owner of an ephemeral        channel from within the application.    -   People self-selecting to join the channel

Ephemeral content associated with a channel may also be governed bydifferent media types that may have a channel-wide set of access orother use conditions. Each content may also have a unique set ofephemeral conditions set by the channel owner or any user submittingcontent to the channel. Suitable content for use in channels mayinclude, for example, video, streaming audio/music, photos, text,environmental data (e.g., eHealth or eFitness or other internet ofthings set of data), and the like. Examples of ephemeral channels mayinclude, for example, individual feed channels, sporting event channels,social channels, and the like.

An individual feed channel can be defined by a data construct/datastructure, such as the table of FIG. 2, including one or more users,content, channel rules or controls, metadata about the channel such astemplates applicable to the channel or templates applied to the channelby the channel owner. A template defines various information andsettings relating to rendering of the channel content, such as fonttitle, options selectable by viewers, acceptable content type, and thelike. Example templates are shown in FIGS. 4B and 4C. The users mayinclude, for example, channel owner (e.g., a registered user), useridentities (e.g., anyone who follows the owner, channel co-authors), andthe like. In this example, the relationship columns of FIG. 2 cancorrespond to rules or controls. The channel rules or controls mayinclude, for example, timing rules (e.g., channel will remain active fora specified period of time (e.g., 24×7), etc.). The content may include,for example, user content (e.g., any photo or video the channel ownerwants to post, each with its own viewing conditions.)

A sporting event channel can be defined by data construct including oneor more users, content, and channel rules or controls. The users mayinclude, for example, channel owner (e.g., a NFL team, etc.), useridentity (e.g., anyone who follows the team, anyone that is using anassociated application and it at the stadium during a game, etc.). Thechannel rules or controls may include, for example, ephemeral contentconditions (e.g., 15 second video spots, photos will all be curated intoa 20 minute “Fan” video that has certain licensing and playbackrestrictions, etc.). The content may include, for example, group content(e.g., content associated with a sporting event, such as recording videoand audio clips into a “Fan” Channel only open for one hour before andafter a game event.).

A social channel can be defined by a data construct including one ormore users, content, and channel rules or controls. This type of channelmay be used during a social event, such as a party. For example, anephemeral party channel may be used so that people can meet digitallyand share multimedia content during a social event, or for a limitedtime thereafter (e.g., only viewable by this group for 12 hours afterthe party). The users may include, for example, channel owner (e.g., asorority, etc.), user identity (e.g., all members of the sorority,anyone who is invited to the party, etc.). The channel rules or controlsmay include, for example, ephemeral content conditions (e.g., all videoand pictures shared via this channel may be viewed by members of thischannel for 12 hours after the party ends.). The content may include,for example, individual content (e.g., pictures taken during the party),group content (e.g., content associated with the sorority), and thelike.

Communications between users on social networking services may occur oncommunication channels within the social networking services. Forexample, when a user creates an account or otherwise registers with asocial networking service, the user may be associated with a homechannel, which is a channel that may include information relevant to theuser, for example, a Timeline, News Feed, and the like. The content ofthis channel may be provided, for example, by other users that the newuser follows or otherwise has a social relationship with. This channelmay thus provide a regular stream of posts or other content from theuser's social relationships. In some embodiments, the new user may replyto a post and effectively create a new message that is sent to a groupdedicated channel of the post's author. The message contains informationidentifying both the post and the new user. The new user and the post'sauthor may continue to communicate via this group dedicated channel.

Another type of channel that can be utilized is a topic-dedicatedchannel. This type of channel relates to a topic of interest to theuser. The topic may be selected by the user, suggested by other users,suggested by the social networking service, or originate from any othersuitable source. Other users who are interested in the topic may postcontent that is associated with the topic of interest to the channel,and subscribers to the channel may receive the posted content via thechannel. While a topic-dedicated channel may generally be intended torelate primarily to a specific topic, there may not be restrictions onthe subject matter of content posted to the channel. In addition, thetopic may be used just to identify what kind of content would/should beposted in the channel. For example, a professional channel may indicateto users that only professional content should be included, and thatsocial content should be not be posted to the channel.

Yet another type of channel is a group dedicated channel. This type ofchannel may be intended to be used by a group of other users, forexample, a group of friends, members of an organization, employees of acompany, etc. Content posted to this channel may be viewed and accessedby other members of the group.

While channels may be used to share content with other users, individualusers have traditionally not been able or permitted to control howcontent is shared on social networking service channels. For example, ona user's home channel, all other users have access to content that isposted through their social relationships with the user associated withthe home channel. To create more than one set of social relationships(e.g., a personal set, a professional set, a social set, etc.), the usermay need to create multiple user accounts and sign in to each account tocontrol the corresponding channels. As for the group dedicated channels,the only control a user is typically given is to add or remove usersfrom the group as needed to control whether they can access contentposted to that channel.

Another way a user may control how his or her content is shared is touse multiple social accounts on different social networks. For example,a user may post content from one account to another. For instance, whileposting on Instagram, the user may share the same post on Facebook andTwitter, and the social relationships the user has on each socialnetwork may be different, thereby sharing the content with differentusers. However, the different social networks may also have separatetimelines and channels, so the user may need to use different apps toaccess the content posted on each.

Thus, an aspect of the disclosed embodiments enables the aggregation ofchannels across disparate social network systems and enables more usercontrol in creating and tearing down channels in social networkingservices. In this regard, the disclosed embodiments may be implementedusing a social platform that enables, for example, a user to usemultiple identities under a single user account such that identity maybe associated with a separate set of social connections.

In addition, an aspect of the disclosed embodiments relates to channelsthat may include content posted and received from other social networkservices and systems. This type of channel may be referred to as acomposite channel. For example, a user may group a number of existingchannels from the same or other social networks (e.g., Twitter,Facebook, etc.) into a single composite channel. When content is postedto the composite channel, the content may be posted to all of the otherexisting channels. Likewise, when content is posted to any of the otherexisting channels, the content may be posted to the composite channel.The posts may include information that indicates where the content orpost originated from (e.g., which social network, channel, etc.). Thecontent owner (or another authorized user) may specify how long contentshould be included in the composite channels, identify which otherchannels should be used to provide content, etc.

With respect to enabling more user control in creating channels, manydifferent types of channels may be created and/or destroyed (terminated)depending on the circumstances. For example, a location sensitivechannel may be created that is associated with a particular location. Inthis scenario, only people that satisfy location-based conditions maysubscribe to the channel. In addition, channels having certain privacyconditions may be created such as a privacy level 1 channel, which mayinclude users that belong to a specific set of connections, a privacylevel 2 channel, which may include users that belong to at least twosets of connections, a privacy level 3 channel, which may include usersthat have been approved by the content owner or the channel rules, andthe like. Another exemplary type of channel is a time sensitive channelin which subscribers may be filtered periodically based on time-basedconditions and the like. For example, a channel may specify that usersmay only subscribe for a set period of time (e.g., a few days, a fewhours, a few minutes, etc.) There can also be channels that have astatus requirement for users based, for example, on the number offollowers, likes, etc. that the users have (e.g., an elite status).Users may ask to subscribe, may be automatically subscribed, or may beasked to subscribe based on their status, location, privacy level,time-related conditions, etc.

As mentioned above, the disclosed embodiments also relate to the abilityof a user to teardown, delete, or otherwise disable a channel on asocial network. For example, channels may be configured to have apredetermined expiration, which may or may not be extended. Channels mayalso be revoked if they are being used improperly, for example.Furthermore, channels may be removed if they are not used for a periodof time (e.g., no new posts, etc.). Also, channels may be linked suchthat when one channel terminates, another channel also terminates.

Yet another aspect of the disclosed embodiments relates to managing howusers can post on multiple channels. For example, a single post may beposted on multiple channels, but may have a single set of controls thatover-ride any channel controls. In another scenario, a single post maybe posted on multiple channels, but the channel controls may over-rideany content controls associated with the post.

FIG. 3 illustrates a user interface 300 according to an aspect of thedisclosed embodiments that enables user activities with channels. Theuser interface can be displayed on a user device, such as a mobilephone. A list of channels 310 may include, for example, channels thatmay be pre-created by the system, channels created or added by a user,and any other type of channel. A list of contacts 320 may includeinformation associated with any user, for example, other users that areconnected via a social relationship. The avatars representing the otherusers may be color-coded or otherwise characterized, for example, toindicate the type of contact. For example, a blue avatar may indicatethat a contact is associated with an email address, a green avatar mayindicate that a contact is associated with a phone number, a magentaavatar may indicate that a contact is a user on the current socialnetwork, etc.

As shown in FIG. 3, the user interface may be used in a variety of ways.For example, a user may post content to one or more selected channels byselecting the channels from the listed channels and then taking apicture using camera shutter button 330. This results in the capturedphoto being published to the selected channels. As another example, auser may share content with one or more selected contacts by selectingcontacts from the list of contacts and the taking a picture using thecamera shutter button. If a channel does not already exist for the userand the selected contacts, a new channel may be created for the user andthe selected contacts, and the captured photo may be automaticallypublished to this channel. In yet another example, a user may select oneof the channel buttons (such as by tapping and holding) and the contentsof that channel can be displayed, for example, as a stream of posts ormessages. Furthermore, new channels may be added, for example, byselecting the Add Channels button, and new contacts may be added, forexample, by selecting the Add Contacts button.

FIG. 4A illustrates how channels may be managed with a user interfaceaccording to an aspect of some embodiments. Specifically FIG. 4A showsinterface 400 for adding a new channel or an existing channel to theinterface of FIG. 3. Channels, whether new or existing, may beassociated with a set of instructions or code for enforcing channelcontrols, content controls, and the like. For example, a public channelmay not have associated channel controls while a private channel mayrequire that all content posted to the channel be obscured, encrypted,etc. Examples of channel controls include, for example, which users mayjoin the channel, how long a user may remain in the channel, what typesof content may be posted to the channel, etc. Examples of contentcontrols include, for example, which users may view the content, howlong the content will be available, and the like.

As described above, there are generally two types of channels that maybe added. First, new channels may be selected from list of existingchannels, for example, via the “Stream ephemeral posts from existingchannels” section shown at 410 in FIG. 4A. When a user selects anexisting channel, a new channel may be created to interface with theexisting channel, and metadata of the existing channel may be associatedwith the new channel. This new channel may be a part of a private socialnetwork, for example, or may be a subset for the existing channel insome fashion. Thus, data from the existing channel may be streamed tothe new channel for display to the user. In addition, the new channelmay send data on the user's behalf back to the existing channel. Thedata may include, for example, posts, activities, statistics,notifications, and the like, and may be displayed to the user forviewing, used to notify the user that activities have occurred in theexisting channel, and the like. Furthermore, when an existing channel isadded, the instructions or code that control the existing channel mayalso control the new channel. In this respect, when an existing channelis cloned into the new channel, the associated instructions or code maybe downloaded and incorporated into the application displaying the newchannel or otherwise associated with the new channel. Whether parametersand/or channel controls associated with a cloned channel may be modifiedmay be controlled by the channel owner, or by channel controlsassociated with the existing channel.

Rather than cloning an existing channel into the new channel, a newchannel may be created, for example, from a template as shown in the“Create ephemeral channel from template” section shown at 420 of FIG.4A. Channel templates may be associated with a set of predefinedcontrols, such as who may subscribe to the channel for viewing, who maypost to the channel, who may delete the channel, when the channelexpires, location requirements, conflict resolution for channel controlsand content controls (e.g., what the app will do when expiration date ofa post is later than the channel expiration date), and the like.Templates may also be predefined by the application displaying thechannels, and may be selected for presentation to a user based on dataabout the user. This data may include, for example, the age of the user,user preferences, the user's avatar (e.g., color, shape, comic, selfie,etc.), the email domain associated with the user, the user's country,area code of the user's phone number, the user's color of choice, andthe like.

FIG. 4B and FIG. 4C show user interfaces for selecting templates viaswiping the screen. The user can swipe the screen—left to right, rightto left, top down or bottom up—to cycle through a list of templates.Alternatively, the user may shake the device or press and hold thescreen to cycle through one or more surprise templates; a surprisetemplate may be available for a fee at some times but happen to be freeat the moment, or surprise templates may be offered based on the user'sengagement with the application, such as how often the user uses theapplication. The templates may be included in the local app or may beserved dynamically by a server. Each swipe reveals the look and feel ofa template such as its description, its contained images, options forthe user to select.

FIG. 4B and FIG. 4C illustrates 2 different templates for the“DEFLATEGATE” feed related to news of tampering with footballs in arecent Super Bowl football game. FIG. 4B shows a template for voting upor down on a content clip. The left button represents down-vote whilethe right button represents up-vote. The user can choose this templateto enable viewers to tap down-vote or up-vote to disapprove or approvethe clip. The template may keep track of tallies for the number of downvotes or up votes. The template may also keep track of a list of viewerswho down-voted and a list of viewers of who up-voted. FIG. 4C shows atemplate for marking a content clip as favorite. The user can choosethis template to enable viewers to mark the clip as their favorites. Thetemplate may keep track of tally for the number of viewers who “fave”the clip and their identities such as username, alias, avatars, and thelike. As illustrated by FIGS. 4B and 4C, a template is associated withlogic (computer program code) being executed while the content is beingviewed or while options are selected.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a display of content in a channel entitled“July 4^(th) Party,” which expires in one week. In this example, theposted content has been covered by a blurred layer for privacy. Thecontent may be blurred until the user decides to view it by, say,tapping on the content; this allows the user to check the contentmetadata, such as owner's identity or content description, beforeviewing. The content may also be blurred for the general public andunblurred only for authorized viewers. For example, authorization occursas required by the content's owner, such as to verify the viewer'sidentity, before the content can be viewed in the clear. While FIG. 5shows content that has been blurred for privacy, any suitableobscuration technique may be applied to prevent unauthorized access tothe content according to the disclosed embodiments.

Another aspect of the disclosed embodiments relates to a channel orother web-based platform that allows users to post content whilemaintaining control over the use of that content. Specifically, when auser posts content to the channel, the user specifies one or more usagerules or conditions that control whether or not the content may beaccessed by other users.

Regarding user control, each user may have the ability to set usagerules regarding access to content they post. This control may includewhich users are permitted to access their content, how long theircontent is available to be accessed, and the like. For example, a usermay specify that only users who are active at the time the content isposted may access the content (e.g., new users that join after thecontent is posted cannot access the content).

In addition, system-wide rules or channel-owner based rules may be setfor users that control whether each user may access content posted tothe channel, contribute content to the channel, and the like. Forexample, geo-markers may be used to control whether users may postcontent based on their location. In this regard, a user may be allowedto post content if they are within a certain geo-space, and they maylose control of their posted content if they leave the geo-space, forexample. Furthermore, system-wide rules may be used to control when achannel may be created, modified, deleted, and the like, and user rulesmay be set based on each user's classification within one or moregroups, such as pseudo identity based groups or anonymous identity basedgroups.

One or more of the above-described techniques can be implemented in orinvolve one or more computer systems. FIG. 6 illustrates a generalizedexample of a computing environment 600 that may be employed inimplementing the embodiments of the invention. The computing environment600 is not intended to suggest any limitation as to scope of use orfunctionality of described embodiments.

With reference to FIG. 6, the computing environment 600 includes atleast one processing unit 610 and memory 620. The processing unit 610executes computer-executable instructions and may be a real or a virtualprocessor. The processing unit 510 may include one or more of: asingle-core CPU (central processing unit), a multi-core CPU, asingle-core GPU (graphics processing unit), a multi-core GPU, asingle-core APU (accelerated processing unit, combining CPU and GPUfeatures) or a multi-core APU. When implementing embodiments of theinvention using a multi-processing system, multiple processing units canexecute computer-executable instructions to increase processing power.The memory 620 may be volatile memory (e.g., registers, cache, RAM),non-volatile memory (e.g., ROM, EEPROM, flash memory, etc.), or somecombination of the two. In some embodiments, the memory 620 storessoftware instructions implementing the techniques described herein. Thememory 620 may also store data operated upon or modified by thetechniques described herein.

A computing environment may have additional features. For example, thecomputing environment 600 includes storage 640, one or more inputdevices 650, one or more output devices 660, and one or morecommunication connections 670. An interconnection mechanism 680, such asa bus, controller, or network interconnects the components of thecomputing environment 600. Typically, operating system software (notshown) provides an operating environment for other software executing inthe computing environment 600, and coordinates activities of thecomponents of the computing environment 600.

The storage 640 may be removable or non-removable, and may includemagnetic disks, magnetic tapes or cassettes, CD-ROMs, CD-RWs, DVDs, orany other medium which can be used to store information and which can beaccessed within the computing environment 600. In some embodiments, thestorage 640 stores instructions for software to be executed by aprocessor, such as processing unit 610.

The input device(s) 650 may be a touch input device such as a keyboard,mouse, pen, trackball, touch screen, or game controller, a voice inputdevice, a scanning device, a digital camera, or another device thatprovides input to the computing environment 600. The input device 650may also be incorporated into output device 660, e.g., as a touchscreen. The output device(s) 660 may be a display, printer, speaker, oranother device that provides output from the computing environment 600.

The communication connection(s) 670 enable communication with anothercomputing entity. Communication may employ wired or wireless techniquesimplemented with an electrical, optical, RF, NFC, Wi-Fi, infrared,acoustic, or other carrier.

Implementations can be described in the general context ofcomputer-readable media. Computer-readable media are any availablestorage media that can be accessed within a computing environment. Byway of example, and not limitation, within the computing environment600, computer-readable media may include non-transient memory 620 orstorage 640.

One or more of the above-described techniques can be implemented in orinvolve one or more computer networks. FIG. 7 illustrates a generalizedexample of a network environment 700 with the arrows indicating possibledirections of data flow. The network environment 700 is not intended tosuggest any limitation as to scope of use or functionality of describedembodiments, and any suitable network environment may be utilized duringimplementation of the described embodiments or their equivalents.

With reference to FIG. 7, the network environment 700 includes one ormore client computing devices, such as laptop 710A, desktop computingdevice 710B, and mobile device 710C. Each of the client computingdevices can be operated by a user, such as users 720A, 720B, and 720C.Any type of client computing device may be included.

The network environment 600 can include one or more server computingdevices, such as 770A, 770B, and 770C. The server computing devices canbe traditional servers or may be implemented using any suitablecomputing device. In some scenarios, one or more client computingdevices may functions as server computing devices.

Network 730 can be a wireless network, local area network, or wide areanetwork, such as the internet. The client computing devices and servercomputing devices can be connected to the network 730 through a physicalconnection or through a wireless connection, such as via a wirelessrouter 740 or through a cellular or mobile connection 650. Any suitablenetwork connections may be used.

One or more storage devices can also be connected to the network, suchas storage devices 760A and 760B. The storage devices may be server-sideor client-side, and may be configured as needed during implementation ofthe disclosed embodiments. Furthermore, the storage devices may beintegral with or otherwise in communication with the one or more of theclient computing devices or server computing devices. Furthermore, thenetwork environment 700 can include one or more switches or routersdisposed between the other components, such as 780A, 780B, and 780C.

In addition to the devices described herein, network 730 can include anynumber of software, hardware, computing, and network components.Additionally, each of the client computing devices, 710, 720, and 730,storage devices 760A and 760B, and server computing devices 770A, 770B,and 770C can in turn include any number of software, hardware,computing, and network components. These components can include, forexample, operating systems, applications, network interfaces, input andoutput interfaces, processors, controllers, memories for storinginstructions, memories for storing data, and the like.

Having described and illustrated the principles of the invention withreference to described embodiments, it will be recognized that thedescribed embodiments can be modified in arrangement and detail withoutdeparting from such principles. It should be understood that the aspectsof the embodiments described herein are not related or limited to anyparticular type of computing environment, unless indicated otherwise.Various types of general purpose or specialized computing environmentsmay be used with or perform operations in accordance with the teachingsdescribed herein. Elements of the described embodiments shown insoftware may be implemented in hardware and vice versa, whereappropriate and as understood by those skilled in the art.

As will be appreciated by those of ordinary skilled in the art, theforegoing examples of systems, apparatus and methods may be implementedby suitable program code on a processor-based system, such as generalpurpose or special purpose computer. It should also be noted thatdifferent implementations of the present technique may perform some orall the steps described herein in different orders or substantiallyconcurrently, that is, in parallel. Furthermore, the functions may beimplemented in a variety of programming languages. Such program code, aswill be appreciated by those of ordinary skilled in the art, may bestored or adapted for storage in one or more non-transitory, tangiblemachine readable media, such as on memory chips, local or remote harddisks, optical disks or other media, which may be accessed by aprocessor-based system to execute the stored program code.

The description herein is presented to enable a person of ordinary skillin the art to make and use the invention. Various modifications to thedisclosed embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in theart and the generic principles of the disclosed embodiments may beapplied to other embodiments, and some features of the disclosedembodiments may be used without the corresponding use of other features.Accordingly, the embodiments described herein should not be limited asdisclosed, but should instead be accorded the widest scope consistentwith the principles and features described herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for creating a private socialnetwork, the apparatus comprising: one or more processors; and one ormore memories operatively coupled to at least one of the one or moreprocessors and having instructions stored thereon that, when executed byat least one of the one or more processors, cause at least one of theone or more processors to: receive data relating to existing socialnetwork relationships between a user and at least one other user;determine existing social network relationships between a user and atthe least one other user based on the data; determine a degree ofinterest between the user and the at least one other user based at leastin part on the interactions between the user and the at least one otheruser; and create a private social network associated with the userincluding creating at least one new social relationship between the userand the at least one other user based on the degree of interest.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein a channel of the private social network isdefined by a data structure indicating the user, the at least one otheruser, and the at least one new social relationship, whereby the datastructure is configured to be read by a computing system to implementthe channel of the private social network.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein at least one of the one or more memories has instructions storedthereon that, when executed by at least one of the one or moreprocessors, cause at least one of the one or more processors to: monitoractivities between the user and the at least one other user; and whereinthe degree of interest is determined based at least in part on theactivities.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the oneor more memories has instructions stored thereon that, when executed byat least one of the one or more processors, cause at least one of theone or more processors to: monitor activities between the user and theat least one other user; and adjust social relationships of the privatesocial network based at least in part on the network.
 5. The apparatusof claim 1, wherein the social relationships include socialrelationships from other social networks.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein at least one of the one or more memories has instructions storedthereon that, when executed by at least one of the one or moreprocessors, cause at least one of the one or more processors to: enablethe user to import the social relationships from another application onthe same device.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one ofthe one or more memories has instructions stored thereon that, whenexecuted by at least one of the one or more processors, cause at leastone of the one or more processors to: enable the user to share anauthorization token to the at least one other user, wherein theauthorization token allows the at least one other user to post on theprivate social network.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the privatesocial network includes channels associated with more than one identitycorresponding to the user.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at leastone of the one or more processors comprises a cohesive enforcement unit.10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions causing at leastone of the one or more processors to create a private social networkassociated with the user include instructions causing at least one ofthe one more processors to generate a data structure defining theprivate social network, the data structure including indicators of theidentity of users of the private social network and relationshipsbetween the owner of the network and the users, whereby the datastructure is configured to be read by a computing system to implement atleast one channel corresponding to the private social network.
 11. Theapparatus of claim 10, wherein the data structure includes metadatacomprising a template applicable to the at least one channel or appliedto the at least one channel by the owner, wherein the template definesoptions selectable by a viewer of the channel.
 12. The apparatus ofclaim 10, wherein the instructions causing at least one of the one ormore processors to generate a data structure defining the private socialnetwork include instructions causing at least one of the one or moreprocessors to: cause delivery of an invitation from the user to acontact; in response to acceptance of the invitation by the contact,create an account for the contact including receiving identificationinformation of the contact; verify the identification information;create a new relationship between the user and the contact; and updatethe data structure with information indicating the new relationship. 13.The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the instructions causing at least oneof the one or more processors to generate a data structure defining theprivate social network include instructions causing at least one of theone or more processors to: detect one or more contacts on a user device;and store relationship information for the one or more contacts in thedata structure.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the instructionscausing at least one of the one or more processors to detect one or morecontacts on a user device include instructions causing at least one ofthe one or more processors to: detect a transaction between the one ormore contacts and the user.
 15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein theone or more contacts are from an active email account on the userdevice.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein separate channels aredefined by the data structure based on the type of email account for acorresponding contact.
 17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein theinstructions causing at least one of the one or more processors togenerate a data structure defining the private social network includeinstructions causing at least one of the one or more processors to:detect local devices in a geographic zone; and store relationship forusers of the local devices the in the data structure.
 18. The apparatusof claim 2, wherein the channel is ephemeral.
 19. The apparatus of claim2, wherein at least some content on the channel is ephemeral.
 20. Anapparatus for aggregating multiple content channels, the apparatuscomprising: one or more processors; and one or more memories operativelycoupled to at least one of the one or more processors and havinginstructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one of theone or more processors, cause at least one of the one or more processorsto: create a first channel associated with first user identityassociated with a user, the first channel corresponding to contentassociated with the first user identity; create a second channelassociated with a second user identity associated with the user, thesecond channel corresponding to content associated with the second useridentity; and present a user interface to the user including the contentassociated with the first user identity and the content associated withthe second user identity.
 21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein theinstructions causing the at least one of the one or more processors tocreate the first channel and create the second channel compriseinstruction which, when executed by at least one of the one or moreprocessors, cause at least one of the one or more processors to enablethe user to select a template for creating a channel by selecting atemplate from a list of templates, wherein the template defines channelparameters.
 22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the content isephemeral content.
 23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein at least oneof the first user identity and the second user identity is associatedwith at least one of a social network user profile, a social networkuser account, or a social network alias.
 24. The apparatus of claim 20,wherein at least one of the one or more processors comprises a cohesiveenforcement unit.
 25. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the channelparameters include one or more options selectable by viewers of achannel.
 26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the template isassociated with logic being executed when the one or more options isselected.
 27. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the template isassociated with logic being executed when the channel is being viewed.28. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium storingcomputer-readable instructions that, when executed by one or morecomputing devices, cause at least one of the one or more computingdevices to: receive data relating to existing social networkrelationships between a user and at least one other user; determineexisting social network relationships between a user and at the leastone other user based on the data; determine a degree of interest betweenthe user and the at least one other user based at least in part on theinteractions between the user and the at least one other user; andcreate a private social network associated with the user includingcreating at least one new social relationship between the user and theat least one other user based on the degree of interest.
 29. The atleast one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein achannel of the private social network is defined by a data structureindicating the user, the at least one other user, and the at least onenew social relationship, whereby the data structure is configured to beread by a computing system to implement the channel of the privatesocial network.
 30. The at least one non-transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 28, further storing computer-readable instructions that,when executed by at least one of the one or more computing devices,cause at least one of the one or more computing devices to: monitoractivities between the user and the at least one other user; and whereinthe degree of interest is determined based at least in part on theactivities.
 31. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable mediumof claim 28, further storing computer-readable instructions that, whenexecuted by at least one of the one or more computing devices, cause atleast one of the one or more computing devices to: monitor activitiesbetween the user and the at least one other user; and adjust socialrelationships of the private social network based at least in part onthe network.
 32. The at least one non-transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 28, wherein the social relationships include socialrelationships from other social networks.
 33. The at least onenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 28, further storingcomputer-readable instructions that, when executed by at least one ofthe one or more computing devices, cause at least one of the one or morecomputing devices to: enable the user to import the social relationshipsfrom another application on the same device.
 34. The at least onenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 28, further storingcomputer-readable instructions that, when executed by at least one ofthe one or more computing devices, cause at least one of the one or morecomputing devices to: enable the user to share an authorization token tothe at least one other user, wherein the authorization token allows theat least one other user to post on the private social network.
 35. Theat least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 28,wherein the private social network includes channels associated withmore than one identity corresponding to the user.
 36. The at least onenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein at leastone of the one or more computing devices comprises a cohesiveenforcement unit.
 37. The at least one non-transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 28, wherein the instructions causing at least one of theone or more computing devices to create a private social networkassociated with the user include instructions causing at least one ofthe one more computing devices to generate a data structure defining theprivate social network, the data structure including indicators of theidentity of users of the private social network and relationshipsbetween the owner of the network and the users, whereby the datastructure is configured to be read by a computing system to implement atleast one channel corresponding to the private social network.
 38. Theat least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 37,wherein the data structure includes metadata comprising a templateapplicable to the at least one channel or applied to the at least onechannel by the owner, wherein the template defines options selectable bya viewer of the channel.
 39. The at least one non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 37, wherein the instructions causingat least one of the one or more computing devices to generate a datastructure defining the private social network include instructionscausing at least one of the one or more computing devices to: causedelivery of an invitation from the user to a contact; in response toacceptance of the invitation by the contact, create an account for thecontact including receiving identification information of the contact;verify the identification information; create a new relationship betweenthe user and the contact; and update the data structure with informationindicating the new relationship.
 40. The at least one non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 37, wherein the instructions causingat least one of the one or more computing devices to generate a datastructure defining the private social network include instructionscausing at least one of the one or more computing devices to: detect oneor more contacts on a user device; and store relationship informationfor the one or more contacts in the data structure.
 41. The at least onenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 40, wherein theinstructions causing at least one of the one or more computing devicesto detect one or more contacts on a user device include instructionscausing at least one of the one or more computing devices to: detect atransaction between the one or more contacts and the user.
 42. The atleast one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 40, whereinthe one or more contacts are from an active email account on the userdevice.
 43. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 42, wherein separate channels are defined by the data structurebased on the type of email account for a corresponding contact.
 44. Theat least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 40,wherein the instructions causing at least one of the one or morecomputing devices to generate a data structure defining the privatesocial network include instructions causing at least one of the one ormore computing devices to: detect local devices in a geographic zone;and store relationship for users of the local devices the in the datastructure.
 45. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable mediumof claim 29, wherein the channel is ephemeral.
 46. The at least onenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein at leastsome content on the channel is ephemeral.
 47. At least onenon-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-readableinstructions that, when executed by one or more computing devices, causeat least one of the one or more computing devices to: create a firstchannel associated with first user identity associated with a user, thefirst channel corresponding to content associated with the first useridentity; create a second channel associated with a second user identityassociated with the user, the second channel corresponding to contentassociated with the second user identity; and present a user interfaceto the user including the content associated with the first useridentity and the content associated with the second user identity. 48.The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 47,wherein the instructions causing the at least one of the one or morecomputing devices to create the first channel and create the secondchannel comprise instruction which, when executed by at least one of theone or more computing devices, cause at least one of the one or morecomputing devices to enable the user to select a template for creating achannel by selecting a template from a list of templates, wherein thetemplate defines channel parameters.
 49. The at least one non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 47, wherein the content is ephemeralcontent.
 50. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 47, wherein at least one of the first user identity and the seconduser identity is associated with at least one of a social network userprofile, a social network user account, or a social network alias. 51.The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 47,wherein at least one of the one or more computing devices comprises acohesive enforcement unit.
 52. The at least one non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 48, wherein the channel parametersinclude one or more options selectable by viewers of a channel.
 53. Theat least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 52,wherein the template is associated with logic being executed when theone or more options is selected.
 54. The at least one non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 48, wherein the template is associatedwith logic being executed when the channel is being viewed.
 55. A methodexecuted by one or more computing devices for creating a private socialnetwork, the method comprising: receiving, by at least one of the one ormore computing devices, data relating to existing social networkrelationships between a user and at least one other user; determining,by at least one of the one or more computing devices, existing socialnetwork relationships between a user and at the least one other userbased on the data; determining, by at least one of the one or morecomputing devices, a degree of interest between the user and the atleast one other user based at least in part on the interactions betweenthe user and the at least one other user; and creating, by at least oneof the one or more computing devices, a private social networkassociated with the user including creating at least one new socialrelationship between the user and the at least one other user based onthe degree of interest.
 56. The method of claim 55, wherein a channel ofthe private social network is defined by a data structure indicating theuser, the at least one other user, and the at least one new socialrelationship, whereby the data structure is configured to be read by acomputing system to implement the channel of the private social network.57. The method of claim 55, further comprising: monitoring, by at leastone of the one or more computing devices, activities between the userand the at least one other user; and wherein the degree of interest isdetermined based at least in part on the activities.
 58. The method ofclaim 55, further comprising: monitoring, by at least one of the one ormore computing devices, activities between the user and the at least oneother user; and adjusting, by at least one of the one or more computingdevices, social relationships of the private social network based atleast in part on the network.
 59. The method of claim 55, wherein thesocial relationships include social relationships from other socialnetworks.
 60. The method of claim 55, further comprising: enabling, byat least one of the one or more computing devices, the user to importthe social relationships from another application on the same device.61. The method of claim 55, further comprising: enabling, by at leastone of the one or more computing devices, the user to share anauthorization token to the at least one other user, wherein theauthorization token allows the at least one other user to post on theprivate social network.
 62. The method of claim 55, wherein the privatesocial network includes channels associated with more than one identitycorresponding to the user.
 63. The method of claim 55, wherein at leastone of the one or more processors comprises a cohesive enforcement unit.64. The method of claim 55, wherein creating a private social networkassociated with the user comprises generating a data structure definingthe private social network, the data structure including indicators ofthe identity of users of the private social network and relationshipsbetween the owner of the network and the users, whereby the datastructure is configured to be read by a computing system to implement atleast one channel corresponding to the private social network.
 65. Themethod of claim 64, wherein the data structure includes metadatacomprising a template applicable to the at least one channel or appliedto the at least one channel by the owner, wherein the template definesoptions selectable by a viewer of the channel.
 66. The method of claim64, wherein generating a data structure defining the private socialnetwork comprises: causing delivery of an invitation from the user to acontact; in response to acceptance of the invitation by the contact,creating an account for the contact including receiving identificationinformation of the contact; verifying the identification information;creating a new relationship between the user and the contact; andupdating the data structure with information indicating the newrelationship.
 67. The method of claim 64, generating a data structuredefining the private social network comprises: detecting one or morecontacts on a user device; and storing relationship information for theone or more contacts in the data structure.
 68. The method of claim 67,wherein detecting one or more contacts on a user device comprises:detecting a transaction between the one or more contacts and the user.69. The method of claim 67, wherein the one or more contacts are from anactive email account on the user device.
 70. The method of claim 69,wherein separate channels are defined by the data structure based on thetype of email account for a corresponding contact.
 71. The method ofclaim 64, wherein generating a data structure defining the privatesocial network comprises: detecting local devices in a geographic zone;and storing relationship for users of the local devices the in the datastructure.
 72. The method of claim 56, wherein the channel is ephemeral.73. The method of claim 56, wherein at least some content on the channelis ephemeral.
 74. A method executed by one or more computing devices foraggregating multiple content channels, the method comprising: creating,by at least one of the one or more computing devices, a first channelassociated with first user identity associated with a user, the firstchannel corresponding to content associated with the first useridentity; creating, by at least one of the one or more computingdevices, a second channel associated with a second user identityassociated with the user, the second channel corresponding to contentassociated with the second user identity; and presenting, by at leastone of the one or more computing devices, a user interface to the userincluding the content associated with the first user identity and thecontent associated with the second user identity.
 75. The method ofclaim 74, wherein creating the first channel and creating the secondchannel comprises enabling the user to select a template for creating achannel by selecting a template from a list of templates, wherein thetemplate defines channel parameters.
 76. The method of claim 74, whereinthe content is ephemeral content.
 77. The method of claim 74, wherein atleast one of the first user identity and the second user identity isassociated with at least one of a social network user profile, a socialnetwork user account, or a social network alias.
 78. The method of claim74, wherein at least one of the one or more computing devices comprisesa cohesive enforcement unit.
 79. The method of claim 75, wherein thechannel parameters include one or more options selectable by viewers ofa channel.
 80. The method of claim 79, wherein the template isassociated with logic being executed when the one or more options isselected.
 81. The method of claim 75, wherein the template is associatedwith logic being executed when the channel is being viewed.